Foundation Degree - Nursing Associate
Start Dates
11 January 2027, 21 June 2027
Duration
2 years full-time
Overview
Why choose Huddersfield for this course?
- Gain confidence using our state-of-the-art skills labs and immersive simulation facilities on our National Health Innovation Campus.
- You’ll learn from experienced health professionals and service users whose real-world insights bring teaching to life.
- Build communication, leadership and teamwork skills through our Health and Wellbeing Academy’s community-focused work experience opportunities.
Accreditation and Professional Links
Recognised connections to give you an extra edge when you graduate. Read More
The Nursing Associate role, developed by the Department of Health, is designed to deliver high-quality, holistic, person-centred, safe, and effective nursing care across a diverse range of health and care settings. Nursing associates play a pivotal role in supporting registered nurses and healthcare support workers, working across all fields of nursing including adult, children, mental health, and learning disabilities to provide compassionate care for patients and the public.
In this vital healthcare role, you'll:
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Collaborate with registered nurses to assess and share information about patients' conditions, behaviours and responses.
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Offer support to individuals and their families and carers when faced with challenging news and life-changing diagnoses.
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Conduct and document clinical observations, including monitoring blood pressure, temperature, respiration, and pulse.
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Identify and address safeguarding concerns, ensuring the safety and well-being of all patients.
Why study Foundation Degree - Nursing Associate
On this two-year full time foundation degree course, you’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to support the physical, cognitive, and mental health needs of individuals at every stage of life.
The course is structured to progressively build your knowledge and skills. Our dedicated teaching team of registered nurses truly understand the nursing associate role and will support and inspire you every step of the way. You'll learn through an engaging blend of lectures, interactive seminars, collaborative group work, realistic simulation training, and role-play scenarios.
Through a diverse range of clinical placements across NHS, private, and voluntary sectors, you’ll develop and enhance your practical skills and build clinical experience.
You’ll also benefit from powerful, real-life insights as service users and carers from our Public Partnership Group share their lived experiences and perspectives, enriching your understanding and shaping your approach to care preparing you to step confidently into your Nursing Associate role following registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Entry Requirements
You must:
- Have GCSE English Language or English Literature and Maths at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme, or Ofqual regulated Level 2 Functional Skills in Maths and English.
- Be 17 years old or above within 3 months of enrolment on the programme (17 is the minimum age for placements).
Offers will be subject to an interview and references.
You must also complete a Rehabilitation of Offenders form and will need a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and Occupational Health Clearances prior to registration on the course. We arrange these as part of the application process. You'll be required to sign a self-declaration at the start of each year and at the end of the course. All police contact during the course must be reported to the course leader as a matter of urgency and may lead to suspension or termination.
Placement providers for this course may require you to have received a number of vaccinations, unless medically exempt, and provide evidence of these. As a student on a course with a clinical or healthcare placement, we strongly recommend that you complete any courses of vaccinations required under current guidelines for your future profession. Failure to do so may result in your inability to undertake a placement in certain clinical settings, therefore impacting upon your academic progression, and may result in academic failure of your course.
You may be eligible to gain accreditation for your prior learning towards this course. Please note that the course you are applying for is regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) which permits recognition of prior learning that is capable of being mapped to the Standards of proficiency for nursing associates and programme outcomes, up to a maximum of 50% of the programme. This maximum limit of 50% does not apply to applicants to preregistration nursing associate programmes who are currently a NMC registered nurse without restrictions on their practice.
If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.5 overall with no element lower than 6.0, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.
Course Details
Teaching and Assessment
Discover what to expect from your tutor contact time, assessment methods, and feedback process.
Placements
Placements are a compulsory element of the course where you'll experience 24 hours and 7-day care. You'll spend over 50% of your time on the course on placement in a variety of settings providing care across the lifespan. Each year you'll undertake three clinical placements where you'll work alongside qualified supervisors and assessors who will provide any help and support you require. For more information visit our placements page.
Attending placements has provided me with additional knowledge and expanded my experience as a Trainee Nursing Associate. It is very important to understand the knowledge underpinning practice and to enjoy your time on placement.
- Vicky Atkinson
Newly qualified Nursing Associate
Your Career
Once qualified the course offers you a wide variety of career opportunities to work within the NHS and wider sector. This could include working in GP surgeries, hospitals, primary care, hospices and nursing homes. In addition you could also undertake further study and join the second year of the Nursing BSc(Hons) course and specialise in a particular field of nursing include adult, child, learning disability and mental health.
The course provided the opportunity for me to gain practical skills and theoretical knowledge, as well as work with and support people of all ages across a wide range of healthcare settings. I completed six placements, which included working in oncology, paediatric, medical assessment, gastroenterology, as well as those with learning disabilities, mental health issues and spinal injuries.
- Helen Peace
Completed Foundation Degree: Nursing Associate (Apprenticeship)
Fees and Finance
This information is for Home students applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2026/27.
Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X) and/or Government policy.
From January 2027 the UK government is launching a new student funding system for people starting university education. Read more about the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE).
For detailed information please visit https://www.hud.ac.uk/study/fees/
This information is for international students applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2026/27.
Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X) and/or Government policy.
For detailed information please visit https://www.hud.ac.uk/international/fees-and-funding/
Scholarships and Bursaries
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Tuition Fee Loans
Find out more about tuition fee loans available to eligible undergraduate students.
What’s included in your fee?
We want you to understand exactly what your fees will cover and what additional costs you may need to budget for when you decide to become a student with us.
If you have any questions about Fees and Finance, please email the Student Finance Team.
Gallery
Learning the theory underpinning clinical skills.
Working together to learn and progress.
Understanding the patient experience.
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Careers support
We know you’re coming to university to study on your chosen subject, meet new people and broaden your horizons. However, we also help you to focus on life after you have graduated to ensure that your hard work pays off and you achieve your ambition.
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At the University of Huddersfield, you’ll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you’ll soon discover that you’re never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey.
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Great teaching is engaging and inspiring — it helps you reach your full potential and prepares you for the future. We don’t just teach well — we excel — and we have the awards and recognition to prove it.
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Our researchers carry out world-leading work that makes a real difference to people’s lives. Staff within the Department of Nursing may teach you on this course.
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You’ll be taught by staff who want to support your learning and share the latest knowledge and research.
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Looking for student accommodation? Huddersfield has you covered. HudLets has a variety of accommodation types to choose from, no matter what your preference. HudLets is the University’s approved accommodation service, run by Huddersfield Students’ Union.
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If you want to continue your learning beyond your undergraduate degree, there is a range of financial support available for postgraduate study, including discounts for Huddersfield graduates.
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When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.
Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons:
Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on
If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and if you are unhappy with the change we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.
Changes to your course after you enrol as a student
Changes to option modules
Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.
Major changes
We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff being unable to teach due to illness, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to pandemics, other disasters (such as fire, flood or war) or changes made by the government.
Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will consult with affected groups of students and any changes would only be made in accordance with our regulations. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you let us know before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for any additional tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so and you may be eligible for an exit award depending on how far through your course you are.
In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.
The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.